An interview with Farinar: The Peasant

Here on Myndflame Farinar is constantly talknign about his current project, The Peasant: The Cost of Freedom. A character driven drama set in westfall. I sat down with him (In an Irc Channel) And talked to him about the project:

Whowho: Feel like an Interview?  *jabs you with my pencil*

Farinar: Yeah sure! Sorry, was off cooking something

Whowho: Oh no! Now I'm hungry!

Farinar:  :P

Whowho: Bleh, anywho, interview!

Farinar: Yep

Whowho: *shuffles about for my notes* So Peasant: The Cost of freedom is something I wouldn’t have expected from the person that made "Dr McNab destroys Halloween!" a year ago, how did you go from comedy, to this drama?

Farinar: Well. The Halloween Contest at WarcraftMovies sounded really interesting to me and I wanted to participate in it. However, I hadn't got many ideas, but I knew that I would like to try out the comedy genre, a genre I haven't been much into before. The entire movie was made within a week, which is the reason that the voice-acting is so bad in it, as I had to do it myself because of the short time.

 The idea of an evil gnome, who seeks revenge on Farinar (my main character) seemed funny in my head, and I think it turned out of okay. But it's definitely not up to par with any of the other comedies around. I've always enjoyed dramas and stories with a huge background and have enjoyed telling stories from childhood. So when I saw the result of Dr. McNab, I thought that I'd better stay a million miles away from comedy and go back to my roots – drama.

 Whowho: So The Peasant is the sort of movie you've always wanted to make?

Farinar: Yeah, basically. I've always wanted to make a movie with a story that was a bit different from all other movies. A movie that focused on normal people, and not epic heroes. I've always thought that fighting for what you believe in and dream of is the most beautiful thing you could do. So, yes, you can say that The Peasant is the result of everything I've wanted to tell and show and also the message I want to send.

Whowho: Now that is a machinima concept I agree with! It sounds like your just the man to make this movie then, but where did the plot come from? Why a peasant and a governor, and parent killing and the lark?

Farinar: I live in Denmark, and we've lacked the revolutions like the one in France and America. But around the region where I live, the goes a story/legend (I'm not sure if it's true) about the evil lord and a farmer son, who lead a group to kill him. It fascinated me, and when I first heard it from my old teacher I thought: "I need to use that sometime!"  So you can say that the story is based on a maybe-not-so-true-story

Whowho: Wow, a plot with a history, very interesting! So will we see these themes in the film? Revolution? Poverty maybe?

Farinar: Indeed. Maybe not so much in the first part, but later definitely. I have some great stuff planned for chapter two already

Whowho: So there's a change in feel throughout the finished product?

 Farinar: It will be a trilogy, and the first part will be all about introducing the characters and such. The other two will focus on the storyline

Whowho: But how will the story being split into episodes effect the story telling? Will it be somewhat episodic, or will it be like the lord of the rings where the first movie ends practically in the middle of a sentence?

Farinar: Episode 2 takes place 3 months after the first movie and there's a time span between the second and third episode as well. I haven't planned how long yet, but I'd like the story to be told throughout a year from beginning to end.

Whowho: A year? Is this linking into the harvest failing in the first movie? Or did I just guess the ending of the third movie Haha

Farinar: The harvest failing is the beginning of it all A lot of things can happen in a year, so the third movie will probably end a year after the harvest failed.

Whowho: And the harvest will do wonderfully and every one will be happy! Or it will fail again and it turns out it was all for nothing Hehe.

Farinar: Haha, wait and see

Whowho: I already am! From the teaser you released a few weeks ago, there was evidence of a build up to battle. I take it the Peasant isn't all character, it has a dash of action?

Farinar: It has action as well, yes. Every movie needs a bit of action in order to advance the story I think, whether it is verbal or physical action. The Peasant will have both. I also think it's needed in order to keep the viewer interested in the rest of the movie. If it was all "blah blah" it would soon go "yawn yawn"

Whowho: That's true, attracting an audience to a bloodless machinima might be difficult.

Farinar: Yeah, and to quote jigsaw: "Oh, yes. There will be blood."

Whowho: What interested me when you first announced this project is that it's set 30 year before wow, in westfall, why that setting inparticular?

Farinar: I'd like to make a movie that didn't mess up the lore as much as many other movies out there. And I thought that setting it in a mostly loreless region (except for the defias) 30 years before the Defias even rose would give me unlimited possibilities as to where I run the story. The story of the Peasant hasn't been mentioned in WoW. But just because it isn't mentioned doesn't mean it didn't exist. Actually, the first thought of my movie was to have The Peasants fighting the defias, but the idea didn't quite cut it for me

 Whowho: So when we're watching it, there will be nothing to make us believe that this didn't happen? It will be nice to have something set so firmly in the Azeroth setting. Especially in Westfall: it’s an iconic zone, long fields of wheat, harvest golems, an ocean view, and broken barns, you've got to love barns. Will you be taking advantage of the setting's visuals?

Farinar: Westfall is a beautiful zone, if not the most beautiful in the entire game. The ruined houses fit perfectly with the poverty that the Lord who rules over the lands has created. So yeah, they will be used to simulate the movies' feeling and background. One guy said to me: "I can make Moonbrook into a nice little village", but I said "No way, it's not a nice little village". Because the ruined houses in Westfall is a symbol of everything the movie is about so the setting is very important for the movie.

Whowho: An iconic setting makes an iconic movie. But so does effets, what can we expect in quality of effects? You're not spending just a week on this, so I'm expecting something above the level of McNab destroys Halloween.

Farinar: I've spent a year already since I began planning the movie (that was May 0. I've learned a bit of After Effects now, so you can bet yourself that the effects will be better than Dr. McNab. However, the ModelViewer seems to still not be functioning fully, so all spell effects cannot be used.. yet

Whowho: I've seen After Effects make some incredibly impressive things,

Farinar: It's the ultimate tool

Whowho: but a year of production? Will it take a year for each individual episode? Or are you somewhat started on the second two?

Farinar: I have all three episodes basically planned out and half of the script for the second episode done. Also, a lot of things have come in my way while producing episode one. Episode 2 and 3 should be faster to produce. I hope. My goal is to be done in 2011 if everything goes right. If the interest for WoW machinima is still as big that is

Whowho: Then how long is each of the episodes expected to be? Almost a year a piece there's a lot you can make in that time.

Farinar: I think the episodes will be shorter than you expect I expect episode one to be about 15-20 minutes long with the others being slightly longer - around 30 mins each. That way it will be around 1 hr, 20 mins total, the length of an average movie.

Whowho: Actually that's more than I exspected! 1hr 20 is an impressive size for a machinima, a feature length machinima is always an impressive piece of work.

Farinar: 1 hr 20 mins is all three movies in total mind you

Whowho: You're suggesting the idea of a 1hr 20mins movie three times? Haha! But 80 mins or 20, will this movie be a blockbuster machinima? You've been generating a lot of hype for it; the blog on Myndflame, the pictures, the teaser, and this interview for example?

Farinar: It's just something I do for my own pleasure and because I enjoy doing it. It would be awesome if it was, but we'll have to wait and see how the audience receives it. I've announced a few things primarily because I like talking about everything I do

Whowho: Ahh, so you're just a big tease, I get it.

Farinar: Basically yeah ;P

Whowho What we don't know anything about is your main character, other than he's a peasant, how much work have you put into him? Do you enjoy writing this tragedy for him?

Farinar: Well. His name is Thomas McGill and he is in his early twenties. He is voiced by Ezra Fergusson. Thomas is a young man who has spent his entire life working on his father's farm. He has never gone to school and can't read, which is his biggest weakness. But he is very friendly and the born leader. His problem is that he believes too much in people and tends to trust the wrong people. We'll especially see this in later episodes.

Whowho: That sounds like a character with plenty of potential to be fatally flawed, I look forward to seeing what you do with Thomas.

Farinar: I enjoy writing his story very much, because he is character that has many sides to him. He's a bit like myself, and writing stories about yourself is always awesome! However, your first impression might change throughout the series when his story expands

Whowho: A healthy amount of Character development, I'd expect nothing less Haha.

Farinar: indeed.

Whowho: Well we've been interviewing for over an hour, I think we should start wrapping it up, how are you doing for a release date? I understand you've had plenty of production interruptions.

Farinar: That is true. I haven't had much time to work on it this month either, due to exams and driving lessons (I get my drivers license next month, when I turn 1. Also, I'm going to Italy Saturday, which means that further production might be pushed a bit back. I'm still aiming for end 2009, but nothing is sure yet. Any accidents and I might as well get into early 2010, denouncing the teaser. That's just called "Pulling a Myndflame" though

Whowho: You can't be that far off, your original target was for June wasn't it?

Farinar: The original schedule was Summer 2009 yes But things change :P

Whowho: It's still something that is certainly worth looking forward toothough. And from what you've told me you're putting a lot of effort into it, but one last question,

 Will Drewbie cameo in it?

Farinar: Not in this one, no.

Whowho: What a crying shame.

Farinar: Would be awesome to have it though, never thought about it, but I guess it's something that could be changed

Whowho: Haha, put him in the credits animation!

Farinar: Might as well do that

Whowho: By the way (Out of curiosity) what font to you use? You always seem to use the same iconic font.

Farinar: I can't really remember. I downloaded it on 1001fonts.com and the title is composed of one for the basic text and another font for the "stuff" and the sides

Whowho: I'm a Monotype Corsiva elf my self

Farinar: Haha

 _______________________

So exspect The Peasant: The cost of freedom some when between now and the end of time! If you're a machinimarist working on a project, or some one looking for a review of something they've allready made, let me know! You'll oftern find me in the #Machinima Irc Channel, or send me a PM on here or Warcraft Movies.

Report Post